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Updated: Feb 26, 2026
Transoral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy Vestibular Approach for Thyroid Lobectomy
Published on: May 12, 2023
Thyroid Surgery: To Drain or Not to Drain, That Is the Problem - A Randomized Clinical Trial
Mario Schietroma1, Beatrice Pessia, Zuleyka Bianchi
1Department of Surgery, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
Purpose:
We conducted a prospective, randomized study to evaluate the necessity of drainage after thyroid surgery.
Methods:
The patients (n = 215) were randomly assigned to be treated with suction drains (group 1; n = 108) or not (group 2; n = 107).
Results:
The postoperative pain scores were significantly lower in the non-drained group than in the drained group of patients at postoperative days 0 and at 1. Hematomas, seromas, wound infections, transient biochemical hypoparathyroidism, and transient damage of the recurrent laryngeal nerve occurred more frequently in the drained group than in the non-drained group. The mean hospital stay was significantly shorter in the non-drained group than in the drained group.
Conclusions:
Routine drain emplacement after thyroidectomy is unnecessary.
